Carlynton Facilities Videos
Video Files Relating to the Use of Carlynton Facilities On June 26, 2008, elected school board members Brown, Schirripa, DiPietro, Huggins and Wolkoviak push through a new facilities use policy without informing the public of their intent. The policy was not on the agenda for a vote and no opportunity for public discussion was provided. These same directors passed a motion to end discussion of the proposal, effectively cutting off the three directors (Tassaro, Rousous and McCartney) who opposed the manner in which the policy was being passed. The purpose of these files is to enable citizens to view the discussions directly so that they can make their own informed opinion on the topic and the way in which the policy was passed. Parents Speak Out En Mass At the August 21, 2008 meeting, about 50 parents appeared to express their displeasure at the new policy and the directors who thrust it upon the public. *In Part 1 (http://blip.tv/file/1197712), Director Sharon Wilson expresses her disappointment at the new policy and the negative impact it has had on the Carlynton Community. *In Part 2 (http://blip.tv/file/1198858), the directors discuss the policy. Some admit that the policy that they voted in favor for was not the policy they intended to impose on the people. They express an openness to revising some of the components. *In Part 3 (http://blip.tv/file/1199491), parents tell of the detrimental effect this policy has had on youth sports, including: **disbanding of some programs **increased fees for residents **increased volunteer requirements for resident parents **house sales falling through **loss of business sponsorship for Carlynton clubs Continuing to Ignore the Input of the People and the Facts At the August 7 meeting, several groups present data showing that the new facilities policy directly hurts the students of the Carlynton School District. Despite parents saying the policy was "detrimental", "draconian" and "punitive", the directors who voted in favor of the new policy did not agree to move to re-vote on the policy. View the discussions on-line: *Part 1: http://blip.tv/file/1157873/ *Part 2: http://blip.tv/file/1157458/ *Part 3: http://blip.tv/file/1156692/ *Part 4: http://blip.tv/file/1156325/ Pushing Through Policy Without Public Notice or Input June 26, 2008 Meeting - Brown with no public notice moves to change the facilities policy. Schirripa, DiPietro, Huggins and Wolkoviak support the move with limit discussion and no input from the public. Brief Excerpts Highlighting Some Director's Views Director Brown kz5cEHWDhTA Brief Comments by Director Brown on April 17, 2008. Director Brown specifically states his desire to limit the use of facilities to students attending Carlynton Schools. In subsequent meetings, Director Brown has seemed more open to allowing some non-residents into groups, although he has not made a definitive statement to that effect. Director DiPietro zebJQGAHLdE A compilation of comments by Director DiPietro on April 17, 2008 and May 1, 2008. Director DiPietro appears to want to ensure that all district residents are given priority in club membership and that non-residents are allowed into groups only on an as-needed or as-space available basis. This all very reasonable and laudable; however, is solution to ensure this is to raise the required district membership percent (as high as 90-95 or even 100%) and charge non-residents a large fee (at one point, he suggested $500). While his goal is noble, his approach does not seem to address the underlying problems and will likely backfire, causing clubs to raise the fees for in-district participants and leading to less competitive teams and training. Entire Meeting Videos May 27, 2008 Meeting (2 hours) - this is the special meeting in which some organizations were asked to present the impact of the policy changes on their groups. All groups that currently have non-residents in their organization stated that even under the current policy requiring 75% district membership, they currently have trouble fielding their teams. (I'm having trouble getting this uploaded - video coming soon!). May 1, 2008 Meeting (30 Minutes) April 17, 2008 Meeting Part 1 (30 minutes) and Part 2 (11 Minutes) *Please note that there are unfortunately some inaccuracies in the comments made by Director Brown. **He states the swim club allows non-residents in for no fee or for a fee that is less than residents. ***Nonresidents pay the full family fee for membership in the swim club. Swim lessons, lifeguarding and other programs offered by the swim club charge non-residents more money than Carlynton residents. **He states that the swim club added alums to their roster to meet the 75% requirement ***The only alums on the swim club roster are 4 current college students who are swimming as part of their college team. Some are on athletic swimming scholarships and are required to continue their training while home on breaks or during the Summer. The swim club allows these students - still legal residents of the school district and all are alumni of Carlynton HS - to work out when in town so that they can maintain their conditioning. The club believes it is important to support these athlete-scholars so that they can achieve their athletic and academic goals, which only brings positive attention to the school district. **He states that the swim club has not answered the boards questions. ***The swim club appeared before the board on January 17, 2008 and answered all questions. The board stated that should they have any additional questions, they would contact the club. There have been no follow up questions from the board. This can be verified by reading the last paragraph of the minutes of the January 21, 2008 school board meeting. It was also confirmed by the Superintendent. **He states that the swim club submitted 3 rosters ***The swim club submitted 1 official roster in response to the one request from Dr. Panza in December 2007. There were no other official requests for rosters that the swim club received. Related Links * An editorial on the new Carlynton facilities policy along with video of the meeting at which it was passed * A brief editorial on this topic * A detailed editorial on this topic * http://Carlynton.blogspot.com is an open forum for discussion of this issue. * Comments to the Carlynton school board on April 17, 2008 and May 1, 2008 urging the school board to adopt a more open policy and to seek input from the community prior to adopting any new policies. There is also a letter submitted to a local newspaper summarizing the key points. * Proposed modifications to the existing policy that would address the concerns raised about the current policy while at the same time ensure that resident groups can create the best possible environment for citizens, especially youth. * A letter to school administrators and board about facilities use policies in other districts in response to misinformation presented by some school board members at the May 27, 2008 school board meeting. * The 7 original proposals put forth by the Carlynton school board. These clearly show an intent to heavily penalize any group that has non-resident members. Some even penalize youth sports teams for hosting home meets against non-resident teams. Press Coverage All press coverage on this topic if located under Carlynton Facilities - Press Coverage.